"JERSEY'S EVENING PROPAGANDA"
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Sunday, 31 October 2010

Went shopping on Saturday, I'm a bit of a wizard at Indian curries, so fancied one for dinner. Nothing unreasonable in that you may think? Big mistake leaving the gaff!

Ian came home forty minutes later to find his front door wide open. Went through the house to check no one was still in there, and could not find anything missing. Did Ian just forget to close and lock the front door? NO!!! HE DID NOT!!!

Since leaving jail in 1998, I have always been so careful of security as I was (and still am) in the midst of a battle for justice with the States of Jersey, and the Jersey Police. You can read some of it HERE.

Two weeks ago I came home late from work to find the door handle all bent and twisted up, like someone had tried to break the barrel through pressure from the handle. Could not do anything about it so had it repaired and left it at that. Yesterday, I find the front door wide open on my return from the shops.

Later that evening, I go to use my computer, and find that the hard drives contents have been erased from the machine. Not only that, but my external hard drive case had been opened, disconnected from the inside , thrown back together, and placed back on the stand, UPSIDE DOWN? I have many many copies of all my data distributed throughout the island and abroad in several countries, so it cannot ever be deleted, even if I can!!!

If the person, or person's responsible, want my data, just ask me for a copy! I am quite happy to dish it out to anyone with the courtesy and manners to just ask.

You could have had a cup of tea into the bargain, and you really screwed up coz I bought a big packet of Jaffa Cakes as well....

Saturday, 30 October 2010

Lobby group Parents for Choice are holding another Town Hall meeting next week - and again Education Minister James Reed won't be there. He's turned down an invitation to attend next Thursday's meeting to discuss proposed cuts in funding to the fee-paying schools.

Deputy Reed says he's currently in discussions with the governing bodies of the schools affected and wants to understand the issues they'd face if the cuts go ahead. He says he'll then meet the parents at each school.

Deputy Reed says he would like to have talks with Parents for Choice.

Meanwhile, Philip Taylor, the chair of governors at the Jersey College for Girls, believes the Education Minister will accept their advice over the proposed cuts.

The school already operates a bursary system to ensure it remains accessible to all girls who meet the required academic standard.

The governors say that to ensure no student already at the college will be forced to leave in the event of funding cuts, additional bursaries should be set aside.

And the governors have advised that any cuts should be phased in over a longer period than the three years suggested by the minister.

Mr Taylor says he's confident the advice will be accepted and that the quality of education at JCG will be unaffected.

Penny Carter, chairman of the JCG Parent Association, says they held back from openly campaigning against the Education Minister’s proposals as it did not wish to appear to be directly cutting across the JCG Governors.

'However, the Governors’ position, up until recently, has been unclear and it is only now that we have real clarity on it. What we definitely agree on and is undisputed is that we both have the welfare of the school, the students and the teachers at heart.

'However, the JCG Parent Association does support the views of Parents For Choice in their campaign against the proposed cuts and we have prepared a letter that will be going out to parents next week seeking their views.'

Friday, 29 October 2010

CRUNCH talks to sort out how best to control inflation-busting rent increases charged by private landlords are taking place this afternoon.

Housing Minister Sean Power is meeting Home Affairs Minister Ian Le Marquand and Senator Francis Le Gresley to find a way to stop landlords exploiting tenants.

Senator Le Gresley has a proposition listed for debate next Tuesday to stop landlords inserting clauses into tenancy agreements exempting them from rent review by a tribunal, but says he may pull it if he gets assurances that the Housing Department is taking the matter seriously.

Thursday, 28 October 2010

JERSEY has not had to suffer dictatorship since the end of the Second World War.

That might appear to be a difficult statement to rebut. But there are occasions in modern Island life when a person hands down judgments from above that are exceedingly difficult to challenge – though these situations obviously pale into insignificance compared with the ruthless oppression of the Occupation.

Since the implementation of our new system of government, all ministers can find themselves in the position of having to take important unilateral decisions. However, the Minister for Planning and Environment, Freddie Cohen, finds himself in this particular hot-seat more often than most.

Moreover, the decisions he hands down as the final arbiter in planning cases often have serious implications for individuals or commercial organisations as well as for the community as a whole.To his credit, Senator Cohen is clearly very uneasy about the extent of the powers that are part and parcel of his portfolio. Indeed, he has pledged his support for a review of the Planning role which has been proposed by Deputy Roy Le Hérissier, who has pointed out that, as matters stand, a single individual is empowered to take decisions that can have ‘enormous financial implications – good or bad’.

Deputy Le Hérissier might go further. Ministerial dictat can ruin lives or compel Islanders to live with buildings that prove to be nothing less than blots on the landscape.

Senator Cohen’s willingness to co-operate with a review – which could be conducted by Privileges and Procedures – means that change is conceivable. It might even be likely, given that the Senator has already introduced machinery which involves others in the top level of deliberation. The role of the politicians who accompany him to ministerial hearings is in theory advisory, but, in effect, they share the load of decision-making.

Although there are special reasons to be concerned about the powers vested in the Minister for Planning and Environment, the broad principles involved have relevance to the ministerial system as a whole. With this in mind, it is possible that the specific issue raised by Deputy Le Hérissier will spur further efforts not only to spread the burden shouldered by all ministers, but also to make governmental structures less dependent on a handful of powerful people than is currently the case.

Wednesday, 27 October 2010

To say that the post of Chief Officer of the States of Jersey police has, in recent years, been uncomfortable, ranks as a considerable understatement.

The present acting chief, David Warcup, has decided that he does not want the job and the criticism which goes with it. His predecessor, Graham Power, left with an otherwise formidable reputation tainted by the fiasco of the Haut de la Garenne investigation.

There is, however, more to the present challenge of leading the Island’s force. The new man at the helm, who, it seems, will be City of London Police Commissioner Mike Bowron, will have to address issues of morale and confidence as he gets to grips with making sure that this community is policed as it should be.

If credentials are a guide to future performance, Mr Bowron certainly looks like the man for the job. His commanding role at Aldgate underground station in the wake of the 2005 terrorist bombings speaks of recognised ability. In addition, his current areas of expertise in combating economic crime and having regard for the reputation of the City as a well-policed and a well-regulated centre are of obvious relevance to this Island’s policing.

But, as Mr Bowron will doubtless recognise, he will have to win the confidence of a number of groups if he is to succeed. He must convince police officers at all levels of seniority that he is a man that they can trust. He must be capable of countering any mistrust stemming from those politicians who seem to sense high-level conspiracies at every turn. Above all, his handling of a force that has been tested to the limit by a succession of scandals on a variety of scales must prove to the Jersey public that he has the skills to inspire a fresh start.

Mr Bowron deserves every encouragement and all possible support when he dons the chief’s uniform next year, but we should acknowledge our debt of gratitude to Mr Warcup, who leaves in December.

The acting chief’s role in the suspension of Mr Power has attracted a great deal of flak and, very reasonably, he has made it clear that he has no interest in weathering further insults and accusations. In spite of his decision, we should remember that it was he, with investigating office Mick Gradwell, who unpicked the damaging, costly and tragic mess that the Haut de la Garenne inquiry had become by the time its misguided prime mover, Lenny Harper, had left the Island.

A DECISION to cut the subsidies of fee-paying schools should be made by the States and not the Education Minister, according to one States Member.

Senator Jim Perchard wants any decision-making over school fees to face a vote in the States. He has lodged a proposition requesting that Education Minister James Reed bring the issue to the House for debate before he makes any cuts.

Deputy Reed had been planning to make the cuts as a ministerial decision, which would not have required a vote in the States. But if the proposition, which was lodged yesterday, is accepted, he will be forced to bring his proposal to the States for discussion.

General Sir John McColl, who has seen action in both Iraq and Afghanistan, will take over from the current Lieutenant-Governor, Lieutenant-General Andrew Ridgway, whose five-year term of office ends in September next year.

The 58-year-old, who is married to Gene and has three children, was appointed Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe in 2007. He was knighted in the 2008 New Year Honours.

Sir John, whose hobbies include reading, golf and running, said that he was very pleased to have been appointed to the role in the Island.

Mike Bowron will be appointed the new States police chief, if Members agree
THE senior police officer who led the response to the bombing of Aldgate underground station during the 2005 7/7 London terrorism attacks has been chosen as the Island’s next police chief.

The States will be asked to agree to the appointment of Commissioner for the City of London Police Mike Bowron.

He was head of operations for the police’s response to the bombing of Aldgate Station in July 2005 – at a time when terrorism attacks on four London sites claimed the lives of 56 people, including the suicide bombers.

Monday, 25 October 2010

Home Affairs Minister Ian Le Marquand has announced his recommended candidate for the appointment of Chief of Police, to replace David Warcup on his departure in December.

Mr Mike Bowron is currently the Commissioner for the City of London Police. The recommendation will have to be voted on by the States Assembly. If passed Mr Bowron would take on the post on 4th January 2011.

Since being appointed Commissioner in 2006, Mr Bowron has overseen a 40% fall in crime and led a restructure of the force. He was Head of Operations for the City’s response to the Aldgate underground station following the 7/7 bombings and he was awarded the Queen’s Policing Medal in 2007.

In June, Mr Bowron launched the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau and he is currently the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) lead on economic crime and business continuity

The Minister for Home Affairs said: “I am delighted to present the States with a very strong candidate for this important post. Mr Bowron is an experienced and dynamic officer. The future holds both opportunities and challenges for the States of Jersey Police Force and I am confident that he is well equipped to meet these.”

Mr Bowron joined Sussex Police 1980 and served in a range of uniform roles up to Chief Superintendent level. In 1995 he completed the Strategic Command Course and was appointed as Kent’s Assistant Chief Constable (Operations) in 1997. In 2002 he became Assistant Commissioner for the City of London Police and introduced ‘Project Griffin’ which was designed to engage the private sector in the defence against terrorism.

This story was covered by citizens media NINE days ago!
The follow-up story covered by citizens media, TODAY.

If the latest tobacco strategy is accepted by the States, rows of cigarette packets on display in shops will become a thing of the past in Jersey
SMOKING in cars and public spaces could be banned under the latest ministerial plans to encourage people to stop smoking.

Weeks after the release of figures showing that rates of lung cancer in Jersey are nearly 30 per cent higher than the south-west of England, the Health Department has released the Tobacco Control Strategy 2010-2015.

The strategy, already endorsed by the Council of Ministers including Health Minister Anne Pryke, recommends banning tobacco advertising and display in shops, and banning cigarette vending machines altogether.

It also proposes banning cigarettes from view in Jersey shops and pubs, increasing the number of smoke-free homes in which babies live, and a new crackdown on underage smoking.

Saturday, 23 October 2010

CHANGES must be made to Jersey’s system of government despite the defeat of reform proposals this week, says Treasury Minister Philip Ozouf.

The Senator – who abstained from the vote on Senator Alan Breckon’s proposed reforms, despite backing them publicly at the end of August – says that some kind of hybrid system between ministerial and committee government is the right way forward.

He says that more needs to be done to engage a greater number of States Members in decision-making and policy-making, without undermining the Scrutiny system and going all the way back to the pre-2005 committee system.

STATES Members have been urged by Age Concern chairman Daphne Minihane to exempt food and clothes from GST if they raise it to five per cent.

She wants the States to look again at applying UK-style exemptions to basic essentials like food and clothing, in the light of the GST increase proposed by ministers in the Budget yesterday.

Nick Corbel, Unite union spokesman, also said that the proposed rise in GST would hit the poorest members of society. ‘This is going to make life even more difficult for the people who are already struggling day-to-day,’ he said

Friday, 22 October 2010

A TOTAL of 246 full-time States posts are to be lost as part of the public sector cuts programme.

The Education Department is to be hardest hit – with 91 full-time posts earmarked to be lost over the next three years. They will include 12 full-time primary school jobs, 20 from secondary schools and 20 more from Highlands and other further and vocational education institutions.

Another 34 posts will be lost from the Treasury Department, 32 will be lost from Health and 30 will be lost from the Transport Department.

Senator Ozouf outside Cyril Le Marquand house: Dozens of jobs will be lost if the proposed £65 million is wiped from States' department budgetsGST is to rise, higher earners are in line to pay more Social Security and States departments are to be dramatically cut under a hard-hitting Budget plans announced today.

In one of the toughest budget statements for decades, Treasury Minister Philip Ozouf has ended months of speculation and revealed that he plans to increase GST from three per cent to five per cent.

The minister also revealed plans to:* Increase social security payments for Islanders earning more than £44,232* Increase stamp duty on properties worth over £1 million* Hit smokers, drinkers and motorists with duty increases* And wipe £65 million from States’ departments’ budgets next year as part of a wide-ranging cuts programme which will result in dozens of job losses.

The scene at the Town Hall last night.HUNDREDS of parents packed the Town Hall last night to share their views on plans to cut subsidies to fee-paying schools.

The doors were closed at 8 pm after the room reached its capacity of 300 people. A number of States Members were in the audience. Missing, however, was Education Minister James Reed, who had declined to attend, and over the next two hours he came under heavy fire from the vocal audience.

Many claimed their children had been ‘in tears’ after being told that they might not be able to stay at their fee-paying school and one man suggested calling for a vote of no confidence in Deputy Reed.

FORMER police chief Graham Power has said that the States should issue a formal apology to taxpayers for wasting over £1 million of their money on his unnecessary suspension.

Responding to the findings of the Napier Report into the manner of the suspension, Mr Power said that serious issues of competence and conduct at the highest levels of the Island’s government were exposed in it.

He believes that a full, formal and public apology by the States would be entirely appropriate.

Tuesday, 19 October 2010

A YEAR from today, Jersey will go to the polls in the first same-day States elections.

Whether the decision to elect Deputies, Senators and Constables at the same time on 19 October 2011 will have much effect other than widespread confusion among voters and an unmerited diminution in the status of the Constables remains to be seen.

It is the kind of academic question to which the States have devoted an extraordinary amount of self-absorbed navel-gazing over the past few years, most recently just last week when they also agreed to reduce the size of the Assembly by four and introduce four-year terms of office.

Sadly, however, in doing so they have been engaged in the kind of exercise sometimes likened to rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic. As the election countdown begins, the real issue which should be exercising the mind of anyone who cares about Jersey’s future is not how many Members of what kind are elected how often, but how on earth we are to dramatically improve the calibre of those coming forward as candidates.

After years of steady decline, Jersey is on the brink of a crisis in the overall quality of the States. The sad fact is that too few current Members have consistently displayed the combination of intellect, integrity and good will required to represent Islanders effectively in what, for a whole complex range of reasons, are extraordinarily challenging times.

Too many Members and opportunist candidates in recent years have appeared to approach States membership not as a privileged opportunity for public service but as a vehicle for airing their own hobby horses or enjoying playground jibes at those with whom they disagree.

Too many appear to lack basic respect for the parliamentary traditions and institutions they have inherited. Too many seem incapable of discussing genuine differences of opinion without resorting to personal abuse, glib dogmatic platitudes and juvenile conspiracy theories. Too many lack due humility, basic professional skills or the willingness to engage collaboratively with the big philosophical questions about what kind of community we want to create.

With honourable exceptions, this is not an impressive States Assembly, and Jersey deserves something better. The problem is how to achieve it. How, in the course of the next 12 months, can the prospect of getting involved in Jersey politics be transformed from an increasingly unappealing one into an opportunity capable of once again attracting the Island’s brightest and best?

In the continuing absence of full-scale party politics, there is no pre-election selection process for would-be Members to pass and, with election manifestos amounting to little more than hopeful wish-lists, no reliable way for the electorate to ensure they get what they think they are voting for. These shortcomings are compounded by the mercurial and marginal nature of the elections themselves, in which it is now possible for almost anyone to win a well-paid seat in the States on the basis of little more than a plausible manner and the gift of the gab.

These are not the hallmarks of the mature democracy which Jersey needs, either domestically or if – as it must for all our sakes – it is to be taken seriously on an international stage where the roles and relationships of the players are changing rapidly and demanding ever higher levels of performance from our political representatives.

Rose-tinted nostalgia is a dangerous trap but there can be little doubt that the average calibre of States Members has declined significantly over the last two or three decades. A glance down the list of States Members sitting in, say, 1980 will rapidly confirm that view.

It is no mere coincidence that the same period has seen the abandonment, albeit for sound theoretical reasons, of the principle of honorary service and the end of the consensual approach which for so long characterised Jersey politics. Given that we are now irrevocably in the era of the paid politician, however, the challenge is to find ways of ensuring that no one of suitable ability is deterred from seeking election by the climate of unpleasantness and disruption which has steadily developed since that era and must now be replaced by something more constructive and mutually respectful, whatever differences of policy and ideology there may be.

The next round of government reforms, proposed by Senator Alan Breckon, will go some way towards that by diluting the tendency to adversarial point-scoring inherent in the flawed ministerial system as it is currently constituted. They will not be enough in themselves to solve the problems, though. That can only come about through a major resurgence of interest in service to the Island among those members of the community capable of combining an appreciation of its proud history with a positive new vision of how it might once again become a united and contented community.

If that is to be achieved, Jersey simply cannot afford another drop in the overall quality of the States after next year’s elections. On the contrary, it is vital that the calibre starts rising again and keeps on rising, gradually restoring the Island’s confidence in the Assembly and ensuring that it provides clear, responsive and accountable representation worthy of a respected and self-respecting modern jurisdiction.

To paraphrase the words of the old political maxim, now (and not when the 2011 elections are looming and it is too late to do anything about it) is the time for all good men and women to be thinking about coming to the aid of the Jersey party. There has rarely, if ever, been a better or more important time for candidates of the right calibre to consider making that commitment.

Monday, 18 October 2010

Acting police chief Barry TaylorPOLICE officers were denied the right training for seven years to allow them to rise through the ranks to senior positions, a senior police office has said.

Acting deputy police chief Barry Taylor said that there was no managerial training or leadership preparation, which resulted in officers ‘stagnating’ in their rank.

Mr Taylor, who took on the temporary post 18 months ago, told the Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny sub-panel on Friday that when he arrived in the Island he found that ‘things had been allowed to stagnate for a while’ in the way of supporting officers through the ranks to more senior positions.

FOR the past 11 years the States have struggled, often ineffectually, with a set of measures that must have a place in any community claiming to be a modern democracy.

That set of measures is a freedom of information law – legislation which remains absent from the Island’s statute book, although for the past decade we have had a watered-down alternative in the form of the Code of Practice on Public Access to Official Information.

Towards the end of next month Members will be offered yet another chance to show that Jersey is as keen as other respected and respectable jurisdictions to allow the openness of government which, Islanders were so earnestly promised, would be a key feature of the ministerial system.

Privileges and Procedures, having conducted what is clearly comprehensive research, will urge the House to move from the present code to a fully fledged freedom of information law.

Unfortunately, there is a possibility that the sheer weight of documentation produced by Privileges will actually impede their efforts to persuade Members that their case is sound.

But if, as we are entitled to expect, our political representatives can see the wood for the trees and can also summon up some sense of urgency after what amounts to a decade-long hiatus, there is important progress to be made.

That said, Privileges are likely to face another obstacle in the shape of ministerial objections on the supposed grounds that it would be too costly to introduce and administer a new law in the present difficult economic conditions.

This objection should be viewed with deep scepticism – partly because higher-end costings for the exercise do not accord with what is likely to happen in the real world, and also because ministers have axes to grind. For example, despite all the lip service paid to the virtues of open government, closed government is, from the point of view of those who govern, much easier to manage.

This, however, must not be allowed to stand in the way of legislation that is almost taken for granted in most of the developed world – not least because access to official information is vital if excessive executive power is to be curbed.

Meanwhile, legislators and others who take the trouble to do their homework will find a core principle lies at the heart of this latest attempt to introduce a much-needed law: public interest. As in all freedom of information laws, blocking exemptions are listed, but in the version that the States are being invited to accept, when a question mark hangs over publication, the public interest test would, rightly, properly and significantly, be paramount.

Laura RowleyA FORMER UK council executive has been appointed Treasurer-designate.

Laura Rowley, the former director of resources at Shropshire Council, has been appointed after a recruitment process overseen by the Appointments Commission.

Ms Rowley will join the States on 1 November as Treasurer-designate, working alongside interim Treasurer Hugh McGarel-Groves until she takes up the role in full early next year. She will replace Ian Black, who resigned from the post in August.

Sunday, 17 October 2010

Corruption, Malfeasance, and Utter Lawlessness is still the order of the day in Jersey.

Three Brave Men, real men, have come forward with sworn affidavit's, portraying to the world, the brazen corruption that thrives within this beautiful island of Jersey.

As we struggle too come to terms with what is unfolding in front of our eyes, the vast majority of our wonderful politicians sit on their hands, staring up into oblivion, whistling at the moon!

When are our Elected Representatives going to remove those blindfolds, and face, and tackle the problems they were elected to? It is not enough to turn and look the other way, it is little more than cowardice and fear, or sheer corruption. All those who know the truth, and do nothing, are just as culpable as the perpetrators themselves.

Having some small knowledge of law, I can see in these three affidavits, enough prima facie evidence to arrest dozens of people! SO WHY IS IT NOT BEING DONE?

Our praise and gratitude must go to these three honourable gentlemen for their courage and dedication to the cause of the abuse victims and survivors, and of course, to Simon Bellwood, a true champion of justice for children.

I shall leave you to read these truly disturbing revelations that are, LEGAL and LAWFUL DOCUMENTS.

Saturday, 16 October 2010

SENATOR Ben Shenton broke States rules by secretly recording Environment Minister Freddie Cohen admitting that his department had made ‘an absolute cock-up’ of the Reg’s Skips case, according to the States’ disciplinary committee.

The Privileges and Procedures Committee accepted that Senator Shenton did not set out to trick Senator Cohen by asking him to phone him on a recorded line in January 2008, but they said that he should have informed him that the call was being recorded.

In a statement reporting the breach to States Members, Privileges found that Senator Shenton broke the part of the code of conduct requiring Members to treat each other 'with respect and courtesy'.

JERSEY’S countryside is under serious threat and needs to be protected by more robust laws from developers, a report has warned.

It also says that increasing numbers of horse paddocks and people extending their gardens into agricultural fields are threatening the traditional look and uses of the countryside.

And it concludes that the current law – which is meant to protect the countryside – is inadequate as it does not give an accurate account of the amount of agricultural land. The findings are in the report by the Rural Economy Strategy Scrutiny sub-panel, which is chaired by Deputy Carolyn Labey.

Friday, 15 October 2010

JERSEY’S first sex offenders’ register could be up and running by the end of next month.

And, unlike the UK’s register, it could include people who have committed sexual offences in the past.

It means that offenders including 55-year-old Allan Kittleson, who was sentenced last week for having sex with a girl when she was 15, and many others could be added to the register. Home Affairs Minister Ian Le Marquand said that around 200 Islanders who had committed sexual offences in the past could be named in the register when it was set up.

AN outraged father is demanding that the courts look again at the ‘lenient’ sentence which let a 55-year-old man who had sex with his 15-year-old daughter walk free from court.

He has written to the Home Affairs Minister and the Attorney General saying that his faith in the Island’s justice system has been shattered by the ordeal.

The father, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his daughter, says he is devastated after Allan Kittleson was given a two-year suspended jail sentence by the Royal Court on Friday. The father now wants to know why the sentence was passed.

The Senator was answering questions about the independent report by employment law specialist Brian Napier QC into the manner of the suspension which found that procedural errors had been made when it took place.

The Chief Minister said: ‘I acknowledge that Mr Napier suggested that there could have been procedural errors during the suspension, but he also said there was no evidence of a conspiracy. The suspension has been shown to be totally valid and justified, with the Wiltshire Report providing proof of that.’

Dr Dolores Moyano Ontiveros.THE doctor who carried out an operation which led to the death of a Jersey nurse told a General Medical Council misconduct hearing yesterday that she blamed herself for the tragedy.

Dr Dolores Moyano Ontiveros told the council that she had had two years of counselling to try to come to terms with the ‘pain and grief’ that staff nurse Elizabeth Rourke’s death had caused.

Speaking publicly for the first time yesterday, Dr Moyano said: ‘Because I took that wrong decision and she was in my hands, I was really responsible for her death.’

Tuesday, 12 October 2010

IT is becoming increasingly clear that the savings programme being proposed by the Council of Ministers will, if accepted by the States as a whole, bite very deeply indeed.

The latest, second-phase, proposals, based in part on recent assessments of the state of the major spending departments and of the terms and conditions pertaining to the public sector workforce, promise new levels of pain – and, for the unions and those ideologically opposed to cuts, new levels of anguish.

The prospect of a two-year public sector pay freeze, reductions in overtime and sick pay, and pension reform will quite obviously lead to howls of protest.

We shall also hear the reiteration of a broadly plausible but, in local terms, untested argument – that the tail-end of a recession is no time to make cuts of any description.

However, as the plans tabled by ministers are considered, States Members and the general public must understand the full extent of the challenges that we face.

Firstly, as we are being told repeatedly that desperate times call for desperate measures, it is important to appreciate just how parlous the Island’s economic situation will become if nothing – or too little – is done. Unfortunately, the available data shows that, in the absence of resolute action, the money will quite literally run out.

The second question that must be addressed is this: is the public machine running at peak efficiency? Independent private sector advisers who have examined key spending areas have said, resoundingly, that it is not.

If the advisers’ analysis stacks up, only a head-in-the-sand political executive will fail to press for urgent action. Equally, if compelling evidence is presented, only wilfully blind States Members will fail to support the radical changes now envisaged.

Some comfort can, of course, be drawn from this situation, which is so much at odds with the high levels of prosperity that post-war Jersey enjoyed for so long. The present crisis can be regarded as a wake-up call, prompting public sector change which really should have been embraced in happier economic times.

It remains to be seen how the House will react to the ministerial message, but it is interesting to reflect on the way in which the essentials of the first phase of cuts were approved in four days when a possible three working weeks had been set aside for the debate.

MINISTERS have shelved plans for major cuts to the health service after a review found that the department was not capable of meeting full savings targets.

The Health department was initially asked to find £14.2 million worth of cuts as part of States-wide plans to slash budgets by ten per cent.

As part of the plans, the department was considering a range of options, including introducing a £5 prescription charge, stopping all non-emergency A&E attendance and ceasing a respite service for older people in residential care.

But, following reviews into three States departments, ministers have accepted that Health simply cannot find the full ten per cent without causing serious harm to its level of service.

Monday, 11 October 2010

THE findings of the Napier report on the suspension of former police chief Graham Power make it clear that there were serious failings at a high level and that radical action was taken before the politician and civil servants principally involved were in possession of sufficient information.

Brian Napier QC has revealed that, procedurally, the process which led to Mr Power’s suspension was deeply suspect. In addition, the lengthy period of limbo which the former chief endured before his case was finally drawn to a conclusion was manifestly against natural justice.

In spite of these observations, the benefit of hindsight allows anyone with an interest in the case to consider a much wider picture than the restricted circumstances of the suspension – the Napier report’s focus of concern.

If a decision on Mr Power’s future was taken prematurely and in the absence of sufficient hard evidence, there can now be no doubt that the broad grounds on which the decision was taken eventually proved to be sound.

Although Mr Power might draw some comfort from the finding that he was suspended before proper evidence of incompetence, poor judgment or other major shortcomings had been gathered, it remains beyond doubt that his failure to control the excesses of his deputy, Lenny Harper, constituted unacceptable conduct.

Irrespective of the conclusions reached by Mr Napier, it has long been evident that Mr Power’s decision to allow Mr Harper to follow his own eccentric – and ultimately disastrous – strategy in the Haut de la Garenne inquiry amounted to dereliction of duty.

Meanwhile, it is highly significant that Mr Napier found procedural errors, coupled with undue haste and a failure to heed the wise counsel of the then Solicitor General, Tim Le Cocq, but no evidence of a conspiracy to oust the former chief.

Had the merest scintilla of proof that politicians and civil servants had connived to secure the removal of Mr Power emerged, confidence in the government of this Island would by now have been rocked to its foundations.

Moreover, any such rottenness at the heart of the administration would have added weight to Mr Power’s frankly bizarre allegation that he was beset by corruption and dark plots at the highest levels throughout his term of office – an allegation which, conspiracy theorists might like to note, remains unsupported by any material evidence.

Deputy Bob Hill has called on Chief Spinster Terry Le Sueur to inform States Members tomorrow if disciplinary action will be taken over failings in the way the former police chief was suspended.

The Deputy of St Martin has said that in the light of the findings of the Napier Report that there was a failure to follow correct procedure when Graham Power was suspended, the former police chief is entitled to a public apology.

Mr Power was suspended in November 2008 on the same day that the new senior police officers leading the historical child abuse inquiry announced that there had been no child murders at Haut de la Garenne nor any bodies buried there.

Education director Mario Lundy.EVERY head teacher in Jersey was today called for a mass meeting with the Educationdirector following last week’s announcement of controversial proposals to cut States subsidies.

In an unprecedented move, all heads of fee-paying and States schools were briefed by Education director Mario Lundy at a meeting at Highlands College.

But the Education department has declined to reveal any details of the briefing or even confirm whether it was connected to the recent announcement of proposals to slash States subsidies to fee-paying schools.

GROUVILLE Deputy Carolyn Labey has been threatened following allegations she made in court about planning ‘corruption’, it was claimed in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

Former Senator Stuart Syvret told the court that Deputy Labey, who had made the claims while giving evidence last week in an ‘abuse of process’ hearing connected to charges against him, had been the victim of witness intimidation on an internet blog.

‘Deputy Labey has been subject to a range of illegal and threatening harassment, directly in connection with the testimony she gave in this court,’ Mr Syvret said. ‘She and I have made formal complaints to the police and have given statements.’

Friday, 8 October 2010

Brian Napier Q.C's REPORT is finally released after a battle between Deputy Bob Hill (the good guy) & Jersey's Chief Minister (the not-so-good guy.

Mr Napier could not find any evidence of a conspiracy because.... someone in the States had doctored "The Terms of Reference" so there was NO EVIDENCE AVAILABLE of a conspiracy.

The Charge is here THE JERSEY WAY (radio interview) and is put forward by Deputy Bob Hill and Ex Chief Police Officer, Graham Power Q.P.M. Make your own minds up.

We also have some input from VOICE FOR CHILDREN (Graham Power briefing notes) and TONY THE PROFESSOR (to give this story some balance). And just where would we be without any comment fromSTUART SYVRET (Responses from Lenny Harper & Graham Power).

The truth is, that the crooks in power in Jersey, have cheated everyone they have encountered during this little journey. From the poor survivors at the outset, right the way through to Brian Napier Q.C at the conclusion.

Former States police chief Graham PowerFORMER Police Chief Graham Power was suspended without proper evidence of incompetence in handling the historical child abuse inquiry, a report has revealed.

The independent report by employment law specialist Brian Napier QC released today says that there were procedural failings in the handling of the suspension of Mr Power in November 2008 which was carried out by the then Home Affairs Minister, Andrew Lewis, in the presence of States chief executive Bill Ogley.

Mr Power was suspended on the same day that it was revealed by acting police chief David Warcup and Det Supt Mick Gradwell that there had been no child murders or bodies buried at Haut de la Garenne.

• See Friday’s Jersey Evening Post for the full report, Or, if you want the "REAL TRUTH" simply visit any of the BLOGS below.... "AND, IT'S FREE TOO" !!!!!!!!!!

Thursday, 7 October 2010

Chief Minister Terry Le Sueur.DISCIPLINARY action could be taken over the way in which former police chief Graham Power was suspended two years ago.

Chief Minister Terry Le Sueur informed States Members yesterday that having received the independent report by employment law specialist Brian Napier into the suspension, he believed there could possibly be grounds for disciplinary action.

After receiving a number of emails from States Members asking the reasons for the delay in its publication, Senator Le Sueur responded by informing all Members he was taking advice on the matter.

• Read the full report in Thursday’s JEP, Or, if you want the "REAL TRUTH" simply visit any of the BLOGS below.... "AND, IT'S FREE TOO" !!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday, 6 October 2010

I am most concerned about the delay in circulating the Napier Report. It was my understanding that you were going to make a statement and/or circulate the Report to States Members and the Media at the end of last week to be embargoed until early this week. I am mindful of a court case and that the parties concerned might have an interest in the Napier Report. I making no comment as to its value but I believe that both parties should have sight of the Napier Report before the conclusion of the case and not after.

I understand that the case resumes on Friday therefore time is running out.

To ensure that justice is not denied, I ask that by 4pm today you either make a formal statement as to why the Napier Report cannot be released or by that time it is released to all States Members, the Media, Mr Power and Mr Syvret and embargoed until 3pm tomorrow.

If you decide to do neither I will release the copy you have given me to the above mentioned persons at 430pm today and embargoed until 3pm when I will hold a public press conference to answer any questions that may arise from the Report.

Regards

Deputy F. J. (Bob) Hill,

BEM.,Deputy of St Martin

UPDATE :

E-mail from Terry Le Sueur to all States Members.

Deputy Bob Hill's reply to follow!

Dear colleague,

As you may be aware, I have now received the Report into the suspension on 12th November 2008 of the (former) Chief Officer of the States of Jersey Police (“the Napier Report”).Having read this Report carefully, I am of the view that there could possibly be grounds for disciplinary action arising out of the report. I am taking advice on this and considering it as a matter of urgency and anticipate making a decision on this shortly.I have also sought appropriate advice about the publication of the Napier Report prior to any disciplinary proceedings which may, after consideration, take place and I am advised that publication might prejudice any disciplinary process which may be required.Although I have shared the Napier Report in confidence with the Deputy of St. Martin, he has acknowledged that it is important for any disciplinary process that may be required to be conducted properly so that there can be no question of any impropriety. The Deputy of St. Martin has therefore agreed to continue to hold the Report in confidence.I am grateful to the Deputy for his understanding in this matter and I hope that all States members will similarly respect the need to conclude any disciplinary issues prior to publication.I confirm that on the conclusion of any disciplinary issues, the Napier Report will be published in a full and unredacted form.

Yours sincerely,

Terry Le SueurChief Minister

UPDATE: Deputy Bob Hill's Reply.

Dear Terry,

Thank you for your reply but you are well aware that it falls far short of what I am asking. Your email below was sent without any discussion with me therefore I have not agreed to hold the Report in confidence for what seems to be an indefinite period.The purpose of my email was for you to show some leadership in an impartial way. You have been in possession of the Report since 13th September and must have been considering disciplinary action. When you gave me a copy of the Report on Friday 17th September you told me you were considering disciplinary action and were seeking advice. However it was envisaged that the Report would be circulated soon after my return from holiday. I believe you have had ample time to seek advice to determine whether to instigate disciplinary action. Many States Members have been of the view that the suspension of the former Police Chief was not conducted in a satisfactory manner and that was endorsed by the Royal Court some months later. The evidence has therefore been to hand in the public domain for over 18 months.You have stated that are taking advice and considering it as a matter of urgency and anticipate making a decision on this shortly. However in my opinion It would appear that you are trying to stall the process in the knowledge that the Napier Report could be of some value in a Court Case which is in progress. I do not want to prejustice any disciplinary case but equally I do not want to deny justice to an ongoing Court Case.All that said I am encouraged by your assurance that this is now a matter of urgency but that is what you told me last week when you thought you were going to a statement. However, after some thought, I will take no further action in this matter before 2pm tomorrow (Thursday 7th October 2010.) This should be sufficient time for you to complete your consideration of any possible disciplinary action. If you do decide that disciplinary action is appropriate and the individual person is named and make a statement to that effect, then I will seek to avoid any action which might cause difficulties to the disciplinary process. However, if the current uncertainty is allowed to continue then I will take such action as appears to me to be in the public interest.While I recognise that this position may cause you some difficulty, I can only repeat that this exchange relates to a report which has been in your possession since 13th September 2010 and which is subject to growing speculation regarding its contents. I believe that it is now time to bring this speculation to an end by prompt and decisive action. At this time I am content for you to continue to take the lead on this matter but reserve all of my options if no clear decision is taken within the timescale I have indicated.RegardsDeputy F. J. (Bob) Hill, BEM.,

Tuesday, 5 October 2010

I AM a person who rarely puts pen too paper. However, I have had enough of the States Members in this Island who expound the importance of frugality and being careful with our finances and then proceed to do the opposite.

Part of the problem now facing the Island in this economic crisis is that are just not enough jobs to go round.

For over ten years this Island has been waiting for an effective migration policy. Deputy Paul le Claire proposed that we introduce work permits. This appeared to be a solution to monitor the ebb and flow of people wishing to come to work in Jersey.

It appears that States Members have lost the ability to make the hard unpopular decisions unless it is to take money from low income families and give more to the finance industry. I think that we are probably ten years too late with stemming migration, but better late than never. That said, I wonder how many States Members will have the backbone to support work permits or something similar.

I accept that people have no work at home and are following work all over the world but we have less work now and it is becoming scarce. It’s a frightening time for residents, and with tax being raised, monies spent on finance, no diversity is being supported.

States Members are living in a bubble and cannot see the hardship that is all around them. They are in an ivory tower, with their eyes firmly shut to anything other than the finance industry and dreaming of the good old days when we had a boom.

Benefit payments are at an all time high, but only those on benefit get help. Special payments for emergency assistance don’t come into play for desperate working families if they have a crisis.

What will it take? Exponential growth in residentially qualified people becoming homeless, children living on the street? Does it sound far-fetched?

Look at the UK and the conditions inner city people have to live in. That is happening here. Transitional payments that stopped people from sinking are being taken away.That was always the plan, says the States. That’s as maybe, but did they plan for the recession? Did they plan for all the redundancies? I think not. However, what they apparently did plan was to keep changing the local to non-resident licences for companies employing people.

It used to occur only in the tourism and agricultural sectors, but is now widespread. It appears that finance industry institutions can now apply to have non-resident licences for employees.

Given the number of redundancies in the last year or so in that industry, I think this action by the States is unconscionable.

I am residentially qualified and I have never been out of work for more than a couple of weeks because I am prepared to do anything. I have never claimed benefits, but feel that if I hit a crisis and ask for help I am simply going to be turned away.

I am earning £10k less than in 2008/9 and yet I keep hearing States Members saying ‘times are hard, people will have to accept they may be asked to take pay cuts’. Does that include them? I think not.

What happened to competition? Why are we spending a fortune on a Jersey Competition Authority when we don’t have any? Why did we get another expensive supermarket?

It’s all about those who have keeping those who have not in their place at the bottom. Just remember that those at the bottom are the voters who foolishly put them where they are.

I have so many things to say, but just feel that maybe we should spend some of the capital reserve money on hearing aids and guide dogs for all States Members as they all seem to be deaf or blind as to what is happening in our Island.

I am married to a Portuguese girl – this is not about being racist, but about our Island’s locals who deserve what their family’s have worked for all their lives, whether they are Portuguese, Polish, or UK citizen’s who have earned the right to be called local.

Dr Moyano pictured at the time of her Royal Court trialA DOCTOR who carried out an operation which led to the death of a Jersey nurse was hired by the General Hospital without being interviewed, a General Medical Council misconduct hearing was told yesterday.

Staff nurse Elizabeth Rourke died following the routine procedure carried out by Dr Dolores Moyano Ontiveros in October 2006.

The doctor was cleared of Mrs Rourke’s manslaughter at a Royal Court trial last year.However, the GMC has now started a five-week hearing which will decide whether the Spanish doctor is fit to practise.

The panel heard that Moyano had produced ‘unsatisfactory’ references when she first applied to work as a locum consultant at the Hospital in 2006.

This is great news and most of the credit must go to Hollie Greig and her mother Anne for their truly phenomenal bravery against all the odds. This must be an inspiration for all abuse victims everywhere, when even a young woman with Down`s Syndrome can bring down the highest legal officer in Scotland.

So much credit must also go to all the wonderful people who have bravely and unselfishly supported Hollie and Anne against the malevolent power and abuse inflicted by a brutal police state. Let us all hope for justice for all the children and those with disabilities who have suffered the most horrific of ordeals as a result of the corruption and lies of Elish Angiolini and her kind, both inside Scotland and without.

Credit must also be given to that brave and loyal Scot, Stuart Usher, Hollie`s first champion and to all those other marvellous Scots who have taken great personal risks to back Hollie`s campaign.

Of course, there are many other corrupt individuals in power in both Scotland and England who must be held to account for their support for paedophile crime as well as the perpetrators, but this is a fine day for the people of Scotland, They never deserved to have a individual so singularly lacking in integrity and humanity as Angiolini in such a prestigious and influential position. Of course, Mrs Angiolini is still due to face me, as well as Hollie and Anne in Court.

But for now let`s applaud Hollie and Anne Greig, two of the bravest women you will find anywhere.

Thank you so much to everyone. We haven`t won yet, but this is a major victory, make no mistake, despite any bogus reasons Angiolini is likely to put forward for her resignation.

Senator Terry Le MainFORMER Housing Minister Terry Le Main has lodged a complaint against the Deputy of Grouville after she accused him of being involved in ‘grand scale planning corruption’.

The complaint against Deputy Carolyn Labey, who made the accusation in the Magistrate’s Court last week, has been made to the Privileges and Procedures Committee, which is responsible for the behaviour of States Members.

Senator Le Main has also demanded a ‘full investigation’ into the claims. In a letter to the committee’s chairman, St Mary Constable Juliette Gallichan, Senator Le Main said he was writing ‘in protest in the strongest of terms’ to the claims.

‘I wish to lodge a complaint against Ms Labey in regard to these corruption allegations which have apparently taken place over the rezoning of Field 148 in Grouville and any other land rezoning or otherwise in the Island,’ he said.

About Me

MY OTHER BLOG
http://therightofreply.blogspot.com/
http://ianlevans.blogspot.com/
I am a carpet fitter who came to Jersey in 1988. I have been persecuted incessantly by the police and judiciary since my arrival. reason being I am big, ugly, speak my mind and my face does not fit as I will not be controlled, by anyone. It is hard to imagine a place like this outside of Zimbabwee, but here we are, the good old Channel Islands. A haven for inbred child abuser's and corrupt thieves. So we fight against this vile regime with all our might, and we will overcome, as Jersey's leaders will eventually drown in, and choke on, their own filth. No Retreat, No Surrender!!!.................................
"If a man lives, it is of certainty he will die. Therefore, it is foolish to think of death as if he were a foe to be vanquished. He will come when he will come."